Despite an emphasis on the new at the 16th Lehigh Valley Music Awards ceremony Sunday, veteran performers walked away with most of the top honors.

Roots rocker Scott Marshall swept four categories, including Best Album and Best Song, on the same night he was among five artists honored for being 20-year veterans of the Valley Music scene.

Longtime favorite blues singer Sara Ayers won four awards. In 2014, she led all winners with five, marking her return from almost two years of not performing because a health condition damaged nerves in her throat.

And blues harmonica player and band leader James Supra won three awards, including Best All-Around Performer on the industry ballot for the third year in a row. He also kept alive the only unbroken streak in the awards’ history by winning Best Harmonica Player for the 16th time.

In all, awards were handed out in 49 industry categories and 21 fan categories, as well as five veteran recognition awards, three directors awards.

Allentown's Jay Proctor, whose group Jay and The Techniques had national hits with “Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie” and “Keep the Ball Rollin' “ in the 1960s, got a Lifetime Achievement Award for 50 years in the music business.

Sarah Ayers in file photo

Sarah Ayers in file photo

Sarah Ayers in file photo

Chubby Checker, a longtime Philadelphia resident whose 1960 hit “The Twist” is among the most popular singles ever to hit Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and J.T. Carter of the iconic doo-wop group The Crests received special recognition awards.

Carter sang The Crests' biggest hit, “Sixteen Candles,” during presentation of a cake to honor the awards' 16 years.

The awards ceremony, at Musikfest Café at ArtsQuest Center in Bethlehem, had concentrated on a sleeker program – whittling its length from 3 1/2 hours in recent years to a little over 2 1/2 -- that offered more award announcements and performances by new artists.

But industry voters and fans continued to reward Marshall, who performs with the bands Marshall’s Highway and Hillbilly Souls. It was his second consecutive Best Song award. Marshall also won Best Singer-Songwriter on the industry ballot, and he and Marshall’s Highway also won Best Country Band and Best Americana Band.

He was nominated for 11 awards this year.

“My heart is filled with great joy,” Marshall said. “I count my blessings from God for the gifts and talent. To be accepted by audiences and reconized for it is overwhelming. I’m a lucky guy.”

The wins give Marshall and Supra a total of 14 each in the past four awards ceremonies. Marshall has collected 43 nominations in that time.

Supra was nominated for nine awards this year. His James Supra Blues Band also took home Best Blues Band for the second straight year. Supra’s domination since 2011 is even more surprising considering the only award he had won before the recent streak was for harmonica.

“I’m just really totally overwhelmed,” Supra said. “I’m just grateful for all the musicians in the Lehigh Valley. Of his harmonica streak, Supra said, “I’m astonished it’s been 16 years.”

Ayers’ awards included the fan ballot’s choice for Best All-Around Performer and Best Female Artist – the second year in a row for both. She also won Best Female Vocalist on the industry ballot, and Best Singer-Songwriter on the fan ballot.

She had been nominated for six awards. She lost Best Blues Band to Supra, but beat out Marshall for Singer-Songwriter honors in fan voting.

“It’s a bit of a surprise,” Ayers said. “I slowed down in the past two years, so I’m very pleasantly surprised.” She said Supra, with who she performed in the ceremony’s closing number, “cleaned up. I’m so glad to be in good company.”

The awards continued one other streak, but saw another come to an end.

Fusion Jazz Trio won Best Jazz Band for the sixth year in a row. But Ian Holmes, who had won Best Christian Performer for 10 years in a row – the awards’ second-longest streak – was shut out this year.

The awards consolidated the category into Outstanding Contemporary Christian Band/Soloist, and it went to Franky Bells. Best Gospel Band, which Holmes also had won in the past, went to Bells and Paula Brion, and Bells also won the new Best Spiritual Hip-Hop award.

The Large Flowerheads, a popular 1960s cover band from the Lehigh Valley, also won three awards: Best Rock Band, the fan vote for Best Band or Duo, its fourth straight, and Best Website for the third year in a row.

No other act won more than two awards. Tommy Zito won Best Male Vocals and Best Keyboard player. Craig Thatcher won Best Acoustic Guitarist and Best Male Artist.

In accepting the award, Checker called his career “a never-ending attack of action.”

Checker said of “The Twist” that “we didn’t realize that it would change everybody’s dance moves forever.” He said modern dances “just slowed it down,” and stepped away from the mic to demonstrate a fast Twist, then slowed it down to show current hip-hop moves.

Proctor apologized for not performing. “Damn, I should have hummed or whistled or something,” he said.”May God bless you, because he’s blessed me all these years.”

Other acts honored as 20-year veterans were June Thomas, Stewart Brodian, Tom Chaffier and Tom Marchak. Other Directors Award winners were Tower Suite Band, Royal Brown and Isa Pereya. Jack Nine Films got a Special Recognition Award for excellence in the music industry.

The awards’ presentation is being honed for future live broadcasts by Service Electric Cable TV, which will show Sunday’s ceremony at a future date.

Director Gloria Domina of the Greater Lehigh Valley Music Awards, the organization that presents the ceremony, called the ceremony “the best ever.” She particularly mentioned increased interest in hip-hop performers and their audiences

“Fabulous, fabulous,” she said. Everybody was so awesome,” Domina said. “I’ve enjoyed this so much. She said the standing-room-only Musikfest Café represented the largest crowd the program has had, and estimated that a third of the audience was first-time attendees.